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Hercules67 · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:57 pm Post subject: Graphic Novel # 62: Special

I can't believe nobody posted this yet....

OK, this is the story of the capture (bag and tag) of West by HRG and the Haitian.

This story is significant, because of the way it is handled in this comic/graphic novel (and I particularly liked). I will explain as I go along.

It goes along showing Claire on the left-hand side of the page panels and West on the right-hand side of the page. Claire is a junior high school student in Odessa, TX (circa the time of "Company Man" when she chose those glasses for Noah) and West is a junior high school student in St. Louis, MO. I like how their stories parallel each other.

At first Claire doesn't think too much of herself, as a person, as in she doesn't have too much self-esteem. Similarly, West doesn't think that he is anybody "Special". Yet, somehow, the "Company" finds him and abducts him on the way home from school. Claire goes to Primatech to see her dad. In his cell at Primatech, we see doctors examining West. What is very interesting is the appearance of Thompson (HRG's boss) who tells them to be "gentle" with West -- WHY?). Meanwhile, after the exams are finished, West is left alone, and he has a sense of something "special" about himself.

Claire is wondering the hallways of Primatech stating that she has always believed there has been mystery behind the walls of this company. During this time, West starts floating -- without knowing how -- up through a vent in his cell near the hallway that Claire is walking through. They start interacting.

HRG catches-up with his daughter. Claire tells him about the boy in the wall. The Haitian catches West and makes him forget. HRG lets Claire think she imagined the whole thing.

While, no hint of this encounter was ever given in the actual show, it is an interesting episode. WHY? Two reasons:

West calls Claire "pretty": After this day, Claire's self-esteem is raised, and she has a renewed self purpose, and decides to try out for cheerleading.

Meanwhile, West, realizes that he is indeed special.

I thought, this was a good GN, and I like the way the two stories wove together.

mattk25 · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject:

Yeah I thought it was pretty good as well. I'm assuming the Haitian wiped West's memory of Claire because there is no way he would've forgot her. Does anyone know if there is going to still be GN's while Heroes is off the air?

jpoole314 · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject:

I honestly thought this was about as GEY as the HIRO=A CUTE LITTLE BEAR or whatever the hell that was! I read that this morn and couldnt believe it! Seriously, all them years ago Claire and Pest (all pun intended) met when they were young? Like they were destened to be together......oh god please please kill me now!!! I beg of you....KILL ME!!!! I wish Pest would just accidently look back and *BAM flies into the side of a wall or tree!!! Why couldnt they have givin us an Elle story! I woulda liked that alot more.

mattk25 · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject:

LOL! Yeah that part was a little cheesy!

Jormengrund · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:32 pm Post subject:

I am honestly getting tired of the GN being about two to three weeks behind the series.

West came out and faced off against HRG a couple of episodes ago, so why are we now seeing his abduction? That was like 4 episodes ago that he confessed that to Claire!

Gah. If it had actually added anything to the storyline of the series, it might have been interesting, but as it stands, we know most of what went on in that GN. We didn't know that Claire and West met, but who cares? Really? As long as HRG got the job done, showed that he's a little more sentimental about the age thing, and then returns the boy back into his "natural" habitat, his job is done. The story's done. The Gn was just extra fluff to make us waste time waiting for the download, and the time to read it, IMO..

I'm really hoping that these next few GNs are going to give us some good build-up for the new series, and not just be something to make us all "touchy feely" like they've had a tendency to do lately...

sami · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:47 am Post subject:

they can't make the GN required reading....

They can't make it so that people are lost while watching the show if they miss a GN

Hercules67 · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:37 am Post subject:

Exactly. The GNs are NOT required reading. There are those who have not read them, and yet still watch the show. What are they to think.

Personally, I liked it, because I thought it enhanced Claire's and West's story. As for what we will see in upcoming GNs,

(a) I don't know if there are going to be any, what with the writer's strike and all,

and

(b) They might not give us any clues, but might also enhance the background story of some character (which is not a bad thing).

deftonesdea · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject:

blah! i didnt enjoy it, dont give me that "thats why claire joins cheerleading!" and "thats how west thinks of himself so special!" etc etc blah

i thought this was gonna be an awesome GN